ROBERT The sun was setting already when we left the sea dock. We’d got into my car minutes after leaving the sea harbor, and the second we climbed in, silence befell us. Before the driver started the Jeep’s ignition, I considered leaving her alone and bidding her goodbye from then on, but I couldn’t. I still wasn’t ready to let her go and alsoI knew deep within me that it would only be gentlemanly of me to follow her home and drop her safely at the motel. Fuck being gentlemanly. I didn’t want to let Renee go. I’d never felt this way with anyone before, and the fact that Renee was the first woman to bring out these emotions baffled me all the more.Somewhere within me, I wondered if Renee was my soulmate, my better half, the woman I was destined to be with for life. Why hadn’t I met her all these years if she was the one then? ‘She’s years younger than you, silly. When would you have met her if not now?’ My subconscious chimed in, dropping the obvious rhetorical questions, and I
RENEE “What time are we leaving, Nicole?” I asked softly, dipping my hands in the snack bag and grabbing a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. “Leaving here?” Nicole asked in response, turning to face me. She snickered as she said again, “At this rate, you might increase your sugar level with how you’ve been eating, and you know that’s not good for your health, right?” Rolling my eyes, I took another cookie, stuffing the sugary sweet in my mouth and grabbing my nearby can of cola, I sipped helplessly, gurgling at the end. Binge eating was the only way I could get my mind off Robert. So I’d eat my fill, even if I overstuffed myself. However, no matter how much I ate or drank, I couldn’t get over him. His scent filled every inch of my skin, and the last kiss we’d shared before saying farewell was ingrained in me. If I licked my lips, I could still taste him, which made me more heartbroken. I’d done the right thing. This decision was best for both of us, right? Besides, there’s no w
RENEE “A package for a woman named Miss Renee….” The second I heard my name, my brows lifted and I instantly whipped my face toward the room’s doorway where Nicole was standing. We’d been busy packing our things and getting ready to leave for the train station when a knock sounded on our motel door. At first, we hesitated, thinking the sound wasn’t coming from our end. But after two more taps, Nicole gave up and went to attend to whoever was at the door. We weren’t expecting anyone, and considering how sullen and moody I was this morning, I didn’t pay any heed or bother to check who this unexpected visitor was. Not until I heard my name, and the wheels in my head started to turn. Who the hell was that? The voice sounded masculine, and he said he had brought me a package. If I could recall clearly and I kept searching my brain to remember, I didn’t order anything from anyone or anywhere. Where would I get the money to order? More so, what would I order? There must be a mixup s
ROBERT FIVE DAYS LATER For the umpteenth time this afternoon, I stared blankly at the commissioned portrait hanging on the wall in my room. My eyes refused to stray, and I couldn’t look away. Even if I managed to turn, some invisible force brought my eyes back to the beauty on the wall, with her hair billowing in the cool, invisible breeze. My strawberry blonde beauty. My Renee. I closed my eyes at the thought of her and gripped the whiskey glass I held in my hand so tight it almost broke. Not that I cared. Opening my eyes briefly, I stared at the portrait, this time imagining Renee standing near me in my oversized shirt, or maybe some nice as fuck sexy lingerie. Or even a bathrobe… anything at all. She always looked so good in any clothing, and I loved that about her. ‘She’s not here with you, mister. Get your thinking straight.’ My subconscious chimed all too quickly and shaking my head, I tried to dispel my wandering thoughts, but it was too difficult. It’d been five days
RENEEI shut the door blindly behind me, hands groping in the dim space as I desperately searched for the light switch. I was finally home. After a hectic day of scrubbing tables, serving dishes, and avoiding the hooded stares of leech-looking men, I was now in my home. The little apartment I shared with Nicole. Sighing, I tossed my handbag on the small couch and walked straight to the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and popped the can open, taking a deep sip.With my eyes closed and my thoughts racing, I allowed myself to ask the same question in my head for the umpteenth time since returning from my mini vacation. How was Robert Clarke doing? What was he up to now? Did he miss me as much as I missed him? Did he think about me every night before bed? Did he even touch himself as he thought of me like I did as I thought of him?Every night since I left Miami, I’d pleasured myself with sex toys or my fingers. With every orgasm that coursed through me, I imagine
RENEE “Have you considered what to do with the gifts?” My busy hands froze. I turned to face Nicole with a raised brow, dropping the hairbrush I held on the dressing table. “What do you mean?” “You heard me, Renee. What plans do you have for the gifts? The flowers and the greeting card. Are you going to call him? You realize Robert is sending you these things, right?” “I am aware.” I said, annoyed.“Why don't you call him? Remember you never thanked him for the ones he sent you in Miami? He was hurt because you never called.”“I know, I know, I know! I called him last night.” I exclaimed a little too sharply as I continued, “I dialed his number, the one I’d been keeping, but it didn't go through. So I'm confused, Nicole, and I'm not sure what to do.”I returned my gaze to my best friend, expressing my concerns, and her brow furrowed. I could tell she was concerned about me.She wanted what was best for me, and I wanted to do the right thing too, but it was all too complicated.“T
ROBERTWas I a creep? A weird stalker? An obsessed man in love with a woman who barely knew it?Per se, I wasn’t necessarily a creep, nor was I weird, but I was stalking Renee, and I was madly obsessed with her too.As I watched her get into the cab, her eyes darting about in fright, my chest tightened.I didn’t want her to be afraid of me, and I knew by now she’d know it was me sending the gifts.If she were sharp enough, she’d have recognized my cursive handwriting in the notes I sent to her, and with my R initials engraved at the bottom, I’d surely given myself away.Even though I wanted to be mysterious, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, as I didn’t want her lashing out at me when we met again.Smirking, I closed my eyes briefly, my head falling back to the car’s headrest as I thought about how she’d looked today.She was so stunning in her waitress uniform, and my dick twitched remembering that.Luckily for me, the restaurant where she worked was lined with windows,
RENEE“Girl, I’ll be damned if this man doesn’t love you. Just look at the gifts. Oh girl, I say you’ve hit the jackpot with this one.”Staring mindlessly at the couple art notebook Robert gifted me and the lone tulip flower attached to the wrapped package, I didn’t say a word as Nicole went on and on.Another cryptic note was attached to the presents, but I wasn’t ready to read it.Instead, I stared blankly at everything sprawled out on the bed. I rubbed my forehead, unsure of what to do.“Aren’t you going to say anything? Damn, look at this. So romantic and sensual. He imagined both of you when he bought this.” Nicole said, picking up the art book. “The pictures are out of this world, though the gift is strange. Robert Clarke is very thoughtful. I’ll give him that.”“You think?” I mumbled, staring at the picture Nicole showed me, and my eyes glazed over the sensual black-and-white art.It was a drawing of a naked silhouetted man and woman in bed, tangled with the sheets. The man ha